,infant fighting battle to live; in need of donor

by Lisa Nicole Finegan staff writer

Laughter is the best medicine, and Elizabeth Santorine is giving her parents plenty of it.

On the outside, Elizabeth is a typical two- year old, but on the inside she is fighting a battle for her life.

The two year-old was diagnosed with Juvenile Chronic Myeloid

S>Leukemia, or JCML, in February of this year. This rare form of cancer is ~e only curable form of leukemia: however the chances of finding a bone marrow match are only five in one million. If a matching donor is found, a complete bone marrow would save this little girl's life.

Last Wednesday, Elizabeth had her spleen removed, an operation that took three hours with a fourhour recovering period. Most patients who undergo this operation stay in the hospital for three to five days, but just two days later, Elizabeth was discharged from the hospital.

At home, she is ready to wrestle with her brothers, but mom and dad keep a close eye on her, due to the broviac catheter placed on her chest to facilitate the administrating of chemotherapy, which will begin April 22 at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).

Finding a matching donor will be a challenge for Elizabeth. There is only a five percent chance of finding a match for her. Fortunately, there are three almost-matches for her; however, intensive screening must be done before one can be declared a complete match. She is not quite out of the woods yet, but her spirit is strong.

Her father Joe Santorine, athletic and recreation director of the Dixon Center, describes Elizabeth as a typical two year-old going through the typical "terrible twos."

"She's a fun-loving girl going through some hard stuff," Santorine said.

As the search continues to find Elizabeth the perfect match, more than 3,000 other le,ukemia patients are also waiting for a match. The National Marrow Donation Program has over 3 million volunteers who have had their blood tested and cataloged. Each one of these volunteers is willing to donate their bone marrow to save the life of a cancer patient.

The American Red Cross Blood Services assists in community marrow drives. Volunteers are asked to have their blood sampled and typed at donor collection centers. Four small viles of blood are drawn and the entire procedure takes about one-half hour. It is due to the high number of registered donors that each person in need of a transplant has an 80 percent change of finding a match.

The blood typing costs $40 per test and fees are waived for African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Pacific-Islanders, HispanicAmericans,and American Indians. Potential recipients who are Caucasian have an 80 percent chance of finding a match, while rates are sig- nificantly lower for minorities.

All donors must be between the ages of 18 and 60 and be in good health, with no history of cancer. They also must be willing to consider donating marrow to potential recipients throughout the country.

If called as a potential donor, additional steps may include more blood testing, a medical examination, counseling about marrow donation and ultimately the collection of the marrow. At each step the volunteer receives additional information and must decide whether to continue or decline.

At no time does the volunteer pay for any of these tests. The cost for the collection of marrow is covered by the recipient's insurance.

Elizabeth's case is unlike any other seen in patients with JCML.

Most children who are diagnosed with this form of leukemia are on average 10 years old and adult patients with this form of leukemia are over the age of 45. The doctors at CHOP, as well as a network of doctors in five other hospitals, are following her case closely.

Here at Cabrini, Dr. Tony Verde is helping to organize a blood-testing drive on April 22 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Dixon Center. All of the to voice their opinions.

Cabrini Community is asked to get tested to not only benefit Elizabeth, but all the leukemia patients throughout the area. For more information contact Kathy McCrae in the Dixon Center at 225-3904.

Anyone wishing to donate money to defray costs for the bone marrow drive can send checks to the National Bone Marrow Donor Program, Harleysville National Bank-Limerick Branch, 260 W. Ridge Pike, Limerick, PA 19468. In the memo area of checks, donors are asked to put the name Elizabeth Santorine.

by Nick Levandusky layout and design editor

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In a place where many heated discussions have taken place to determine the fate of world controversies, college students from around the globe added their input to solve world problems at the National Model United Nations.

Students from countries such as Canada, Switzerland and Germany, as well as various countries found in Asia, met at the UN building on March 30 in New York City

Each team of students was assigned a topic of national importance that related to other nations. The teams were not allowed to argue problems within their own country, but rather the problems of other nations.

"I think the most beneficial part of the whole event for the students was the fact that they had to put aside personal bias to argue for other nations," Mark Dierkes, admissions counselor, said.

The issues debated upon ranged from environmental issues to eco- nomic issues to sanctions placed

Joe Santorine Two-year old Elizabeth Santorine, daughter of Joe Santorine, athletic and recreation director of the Dixon Center, was diagnosed with leukemia and now is in need of a bone marrow donor.

;., •ni s ents were asked to represe anada at the event. Each student was given a topic that was relevant to Canada.

The students were lead by Hollace Bluitt and underwent three weeks of preparation for the event.

First-year student Andre Garabedian was selected to be the head delegate. His part was in the General Assembly of the UN and he was on the plenary committee.

"I basically had an open forum to speak upon," said Garabedian.

"I did not have any limitations."

The school chosen to represent the RS. was the University of Bo-@ftom Germany. Sen,,.,

In a letter sent out by President Antoinette Iadarola last year, she mentioned that the college was attempting to become more of a regional college. Dierkes expanded on this idea by relating it to the trip to the model UN.

"I think the trip was a benefit to the college," Dierkes said. "By participating in the event, the Cabrini name could be spread among students throughout the na- photo tion and the world."

He went on to mention his most memorable moment from the trip.

"For me, my most memorable moment came in the opening ceremonies," he said. "The current Secretary General of the UN, Koffi Annan, spoke to all of the students."

Garabedian reflected on his trip, saying, "I understood the procedure of the UN before, but now I realized even more how much you really have to know about the world. You have to know a lot!"